Pad rack construction for evaporative coolers



Nov. 22, 1966 D. GOETTL 3,287,003

PAD RACK CONSTRUCTION FOR EVAPORATIVE COOLERS Filed June 18, 1964 INVENTOR.

ADAM D. GOETI'L United States Patent 3,287,003 PAD RACK CONSTRUCTION FOR EVAPORATIVE COOLER-S Adam D. Goettl, Scottsdale, Ariz., assignor to Mc Graw- Edison Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 18, 1964, Ser. No. 376,088 6 Claims. (Cl. 26194) This invention relates to a pad rack construction for evaporative coolers, and, more particularly, to a pad rack construction for impaling and supporting foraminous evaporative cooler pads, such as, aspen fiber pads or the like.

Operation of evaporative cooler pads through long seasons has always created the problems of properly supporting these pads so that they do not sag or settle into alternate loose and concentrated areas. During operation evaporative cooler pads are laden with moisture and air passes therethrough. These pads are also subject to some vibration induced aerodynamically, and the tendency is for these pads of aspen fibers or other materials to settle when laden with water and when under vibration.

Various racks for supporting the pads under these conditions have been devised, and many of them do not provide uniform support for the foraminous pads, and consequently some areas of the pads settle into concentrated masses while other areas become relatively loose and open.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pad rack construction for evaporative coolers which uniformly and properly supports foraminous evaporative cooler pads by means of uniformly staggered pad impaling prongs which are of a very novel, economical and rigid construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pad rack construction for evaporative coolers which is very simple, economical to produce and which is very efiicient in supporting evaporative cooler pads.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel pad rack construction for evaporative coolers wherein a plurality of sub assemblies of pairs of longitudinal wires are parallel with each other and spaced apart and support cross bars of generally U-shaped configuration each having a pair of legs and wherein the legs are spaced farther apart than the longitudinal bars of the sub assemblies so that the U-shaped cross bars may be staggered with respect to these legs to locate them in various ofiset staggered positions to uniformly distribute them throughout the area of a pad which is impaled upon these legs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pad rack construction for evaporative coolers which readily lends itself to mass production by automatic machinery.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction which promotes uniformity in the staggered disposition of prongs for holding an evaporative cooler pad and which also promotes a very strong pad rack with a minimum of material used therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pad rack construction which requires a minimum of pad rack prong structures due to even distribution thereof over a required pad area, thereby rendering the construction of the invention very economical to produce as compared to conventional structures.

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Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an evaporative cooler pad rack construction;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view thereof taken from the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of pad rack structures in accordance with the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the pad rack construction of the invention comprises a plurality of pad rack sub assemblies designated 10, each assembly 10 having a pair of longitudinal bars 12 and each pair of longitudinal bars 12 carrying a plurality of staggered U- shaped cross bars 14 each having a center or middle section 16 and a pair of legs 18 and 20. Each leg 20 is closely adjacent one of the longitudinal bars 12, the other leg 18 being spaced a considerable distance from the remaining longitudinal bar 12 due to the fact that each middle portion 16 of each U-shaped cross bar is longer than a distance between the longitudinal bars 12. Thus, the legs 18 are alternately staggered and so are the legs 20 in order to provide even distribution of these legs 18 and 20 in a foraminous evaporative cooler pad 22, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The sub assemblies 10 are connected by connector bars 24 which are disposed transversely relative to the longitudinal bars 12 and are rigidly connected thereto by welding or otherwise. Further, it will be noted that the U-shaped cross bars 14 are preferably welded to the longitudinal bars 12.

Reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings in which a pair of cross bars 14 are shown in connection with a pair of longitudinal bars 12.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings it will be seen that the cross bars 14, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, are adjacent on the longitudinal bars 12, and that the cross bar 14, shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, has its leg portion 18 spaced as indicated at A a considerable distance from one of the bars 12 while the leg portion 20 of the cross bar 14 is closely adjacent the opposite longitudinal bar 12. As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the U-shaped cross bar 14 is staggered with respect to the cross bar 14, shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, in which case the leg 18, shown in FIG. 4, is spaced from the same bar 12 that the leg 20 is closely adjacent in FIG. 3. Thus, the adjacent cross bars longitudinally of the longitudinal bars 12 are staggered with respect to the leg portions 18 and 20.

The pad rack construction of the invention, shown in FIG. 2, is held in a conventional frame 26 which is of usual sheet metal construction wherein air flow louvers 28 permit air to move inwardly through a foraminous pad rack 30 and through the evaporative cooler pad 22 and through the rack which consists of the sub assemblies 10 and the connector bars 24.

Due to the staggered distribution of the legs 18 and 20 of the cross bars 14, the evaporative cooler pad 22 is uniformly supported and prevented from undue sagging and/ or displacement.

As shown in FIG. 1, it will be seen that each leg portion 18 of one assembly is adjacent to a leg portion 20 of an adjacent assembly 10 whereby the legs 18 are staggered with respect to adjacent cross bars on each assembly, and with respect to the corresponding cross bar portions of adjacent sub assemblies 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pad rack sub assemblies 10 may be disposed with their bars 12 horizontally and the assemblies 10 may be varied in spaced relation to each other. Further, the distance between bars 12 and the relative length of each middle section 16 may vary so that relative staggered spacing of the pad holding prongs may be uniformly distributed to best advantage.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an evaporative cooler pad rack construction the combination of: a pad rack comprising a plurality of rack sub assemblies; a pair of spaced apart longitudinal bars in each sub assembly; substantially U-shaped cross bars fixed to said longitudinal bars, said cross bars spaced apart longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; each cross bar being U-shaped and thereby having a middle portion and a pair of leg portions; said leg portions being at opposite ends of said middle portion and disposed angularly relative thereto, the length of each middle portion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of said longitudinal bars than the remaining leg portion of said last mentioned cross member is to the other longitudinal bar of the last mentioned pair of longitudinal bars, each one of said cross bars being staggered with respect to an adjacent cross bar whereby each of said one leg portions is next to one of said remaining leg portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars.

2. In an evaporative cooler pad rack construction the combination of: a pad rack comprising a plurality of rack sub assemblies; a pair of spaced apart longitudinal bars in each sub assembly; substantially U-sha-ped cross bars fixed to said longitudinal bars, said cross bars spaced apart longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; each cross bar being U-shaped and thereby having a middle portion and a pair of leg portions; said leg portions being at opposite ends of said middle portion and disposed angularly relative thereto, the length of each middle portion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of said longitudinal bars than the remaining leg portions of said last mentioned cross member is to the other longitudinal bar of the last mentioned pair of longitudinal bars, each one of said cross bars being staggered with respect to an adjacent cross bar whereby each of said one leg portions is next -to one of said remaining leg portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; said longitudinal bars of adjacent sub assemblies 'being in substantially'parallel' spaced relation to each other and connector bars. interconnecting said sub assemblies, said connector bars disposed transversely of said longitudinal bars and fixed thereto.

3. In an evaporative cooler'pad rack construction the combination of: a pad rack comprising a plurality of rack sub assemblies; a pair of spaced apart longitudinal bars in each sub assembly; substantially U-shaped cross bars fixed to said longitudinal bars, said cross bars spaced apart longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; each cross bar being U-shaped and thereby having a middle portion and a pair of leg portions; said leg portions being at opposite ends of said middle portion and disposed angularly relative thereto, the length of each middle portion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; said one leg portion of each cross bar of each sub assembly being adjacent one of said remaining leg portions of a similar cross bar of an adjacent sub assembly.

4. In an evaporative cooler pad rack construction the combination of: a pad rack comprising a plurality of rack sub assemblies; a pair of spaced apart longitudinal bars in each sub assembly; substantially U-shaped cross bars fixed to said longitudinal bars, said cross bars spaced apart longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; each cross bar being U-shaped and thereby having a middle portion and a pair of leg portions; said leg portions being at opposite ends of said middle portion and disposed angularly relative thereto, the length of each middle portion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of said longitudinal bars than the remaining leg portion of said last mentioned cross member is to the other longitudinal bar of the,

last mentioned pair of longitudinal bars, each one of said cross bars being staggered with respect to an adjacent cross bar whereby each of said one leg portions is next to one of said remaining leg portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; a for-aminous evaporative cooler pad impaled on said leg portions of said cross bars.

5. In an evaporative cooler pad rack construction the combination of: a pad rack comprising a plurality of rack sub assemblies; a pair of spaced apart longitudinal bars in each sub assembly; substantially -U-shaped cross bars fixed to said longitudinal bars, said cross bars spaced apart longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; each cross bar being U-shaped and thereby having a middle portion and a pair of leg portions; said leg portions being at opposite ends of said middle portion and disposed angularly relative thereto, the length of each middle POI",

tion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of said longitudinal bars than the remaining leg portion .of said last mentioned cross member is to the other longitudinal bar of the last mentioned pair of longitudinal bars, each one of said cross bars being staggered with respect to an adjacent cross bar whereby each of said one leg portions is next to one of said remaining leg portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; a foraminous evaporative cooler pad impaled on said leg portions of said cross bars; said longitudinal bars of adjacent sub assemblies being in substantially parallel spaced relation to each other; and connector bars interconnecting said sub assemblies, said connector bars disposed tranversely relative to said longiangularly relative thereto, the length of each middle por,-

tion being greater than the distance between the bars in each pair of longitudinal bars; each cross bar having one of its leg portions nearer one of said longitudinal bars than the remaining leg portion of said last mentioned cross member is to the other longitudinal bar of the last mentioned pair of longitudinal bars, each one of said cross bars being staggered with respect to an adjacent cross bar whereby each of said one leg portions is next to one of said remaining leg portions longitudinally along said longitudinal bars; a foraminous evaporative cooler pad impaled on said leg portions of said cross bars; said longitudinal bars of adjacent sub assemblies being in substantially parallel spaced relation to each other; and connector bars interconnecting said sub assemblies, said connector bars disposed transversely relative to said longitudinal bars and fixed thereto; said one leg portion of each cross bar of each sub :assembly being adjacent one of said remaining leg portions of a similar cross bar of an adjacent sub assembly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Church et a1. 26197 X Quave et a1.

Keyes.

Rowe.

Bohanon 261-97 Goettl 26197 HARRY B. THORNTQ-N, Primary Examiner.

T. 'R. MILES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN EVAPORATIVE COOLER PAD RACK CONSTRUCTION THE COMBINATION OF: A PAD RACK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RACK SUB ASSEMBLIES; A PAIR OF SPACED APART LONGITUDINAL BARS IN EACH SUB ASSEMBLY; SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CROSS BARS FIXED TO SAID LONGITUDINAL BARS, SAID CROSS BARS SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL BARS; EACH CROSS BAR BEING U-SHAPED AND THEREBY HAVING A MIDDLE PORTION AND A PAIR OF SAID MIDDLE PORTION AND DISPOSED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID MIDDLE PORTION AND DISPOSED ANGULARLY RELATIVE THERETO, THE LENGTH OF EACH MIDDLE PORTION BEING GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BARS IN EACH PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL BARS; EACH CROSS BAR HAVING ONE OF ITS LEG PORTIONS NEARER ONE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL BARS THAN THE REMAINING LEG PORTION OF SAID LAST MENTIONED CROSS MEMBER IS TO THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL BAR OF THE LAST MENTIONED PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL BARS, EACH ONE OF SAID CROSS BARS BEING STAGGERED WITH RESPECT TO AN ADJACENT CROSS BAR WHEREBY EACH OF SAID ONE LEG PORTIONS IS NEXT TO ONE OF SAID REMAINING LEG PORTIONS LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID LONGITUDINALLY BARS. 